THE SUNBODY ASSOCIATION

[Just A Hat Rack]

I could probably be convinced if the right hat came along, but for now I think my Campdrafts with their 2-7/8" brims are about as wide as I want to go, and sometimes I think even that's too wide for me.

You're welcome! I never watched Justified but I'm at least a little familiar with the hat through posts here on The Lounge, and when you mentioned it I thought I'd check your work out of curiosity and was sincerely impressed by how close the two hats are. I wouldn't attempt those tight creases on the crown of the Justified hat myself with Sunbody's Guatemalan palm out of concern that I might damage it regardless of how malleable it is when it's wet, so I think your crown is shaped just right.

Justified is a pretty good crime drama with a bit of a comedic twist. The main villain in the series is one that you'll love. The actor does a phenomenal job. It's available to watch on Amazon Prime if you have the means and the interest.

I knew just based on the difference in material that I wouldn't achieve an exact look, but I'm pleased with the results. Interestingly enough, I've entertained the thought of buying the Stetson Marshall online, which is their version of the hat. Not too long ago I visited a western store that carried it, and I wasn't very impressed. The SunBody will more than suffice for now.



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[deadlyhandsome]

The hat appears very bright on my phone, so it's hard to gauge the "finish" of the hat. From the pics of the underside, it does seem very comparable to the SunBody, albeit a tad smoother. Do they seem as tough/thick? Are they able to be soaked like a SunBody? It's a nice looking hat!

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The Stetson is smoother with fewer stray fibers. I’d also say it is thinner/lighter than my first SunBody in fine palm but about the same as my 2.5” fedora in Oak.

The hats are identical when it comes to soaking and shaping them.

SunBody (oak) fedora on top and Stetson on bottom:

SunBody (fine palm) on top and Stetson on bottom:

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[Mustang Mike's Hats]

My wife and I out last week in the Eastern Sierra Mountains (Hunewill Ranch property outside of Bridgeport, CA) Wearing a couple of Sunbody Vaquero styles I shaped up for us.

 

[tropicalbob]

I'm a little surprised that Sunbody doesn't explain the difference on their website; if they have, I haven't found it. After looking at some of their photos, it seems the difference is in the appearance of the finished hats with the "fine palm" hats being a bit smoother and having a closer resemblance to traditional Panama hats.

Their crowns could be at least a little taller, but I really wish they would produce hats with crowns that have less (or no) taper. Since they don't, I'm assuming there's something about their process or the palms they use that would prevent the hats from sliding off of a non-tapered block.

Brim width? Yeah, as I've mentioned upthread my 2-1/2" brim is just under 2-5/8" on the sides and 2-3/4" front and back. I'd rather have a little more brim than a little less brim, so I'm fine with that.

They're definitely warmer than most straw hats, but still cooler than a fur felt when the temperatures and humidity levels are high. And, of course, better sun protection than most straw hats. Since I wear my hats for sun protection, I happily accept that trade-off. Speaking from personal experience, it's a lot easier to wash off a little sweat than it is to have cancer carved off of you.

I agree with Bob/RJR. Unless you're seriously re-working the hat, your hands should be the only tools you'll need.

I soaked my Sunbody in a sink filled with lukewarm tap water for two to three minutes (as best I can remember) to make sure it was good and wet, and I was a little surprised by how easy it was to shape. The downside of soaking it so thoroughly was that it took several hours to dry completely, but that time also allowed me to monitor it's shape as it dried and make little changes as needed. The foam-padded cotton sweatband and the palm around it was the last to dry, so I wore the hat for the last couple of hours and it conformed to the shape of my head rather nicely.

I still wish the crown was less tapered, but all things considered I'm very happy with the hat I received and will order another one (maybe a different style) when finances permit. I'd also recommend ordering from One 2 mini Ranch if they carry the style you want and have your hat in stock--better prices and excellent service!

I just read your comments about the taper of the hats and thought I'd suggest giving them a call. I remember that I got my custom from them about the time you got your Sunbody, and when I ordered my oak-colored hat they cut down a larger-brimmed style for me that has little or no taper at all. The best part of the whole deal was that they didn't charge me extra for the effort. Nice of them.

 

[Zombie_61]

^ I've read that Sunbody is willing to work with their customers to accommodate reasonable requests. Thank you for the suggestion! I'll keep it in mind if/when I decide to order another.

 

[William G.]

This was my first (and so far only) Sunbody so I don't know if they "all" need some tweaking, but mine did to take it from this...

...to this:

In a way, I'm glad it needed a little help to become what I wanted it to be. I didn't do much--a bit of rake to the crown, deepened the side dents, and gave the brim a more traditional "fedora" shape--but playing with the weaved palm leaves gave me the opportunity to see what they would and wouldn't take.

Oh, and if you twerk your hat, please don't post photos.

I really need to work the dents in mine. That after shot looks fantastic.

 

[Zombie_61]

I really need to work the dents in mine. That after shot looks fantastic.

Thank you. I've reworked the brim once or twice since, giving the back a slightly deeper "flange" and getting the "snap" just right up front, and I've taken the crease from it's original Teardrop to a Diamond and later to it's current C-Crown. But those side dents have remained through all of the changes; dumb luck that they happen to look just right (to my eye anyway) no matter what I do to the hat.

 

[William G.]

Thank you. I've reworked the brim once or twice since, giving the back a slightly deeper "flange" and getting the "snap" just right up front, and I've taken the crease from it's original Teardrop to a Diamond and later to it's current C-Crown. But those side dents have remained through all of the changes; dumb luck that they happen to look just right (to my eye anyway) no matter what I do to the hat.

I agree, they look perfect.

Val gave me a wide slip-on ribbon for Christmas and I think it looks pretty good on the Sunbody, although I've got the taper on the band sitting pretty far back. I worked the brim a little and pushed the crown up about 1/2", gave it deeper dents. I'm pretty happy with how it looks, although I think I need to soak it really good and wear it for a while once it warms up, because it feels like it shrunk a half-size.

 

[Zombie_61]

...I'm pretty happy with how it looks, although I think I need to soak it really good and wear it for a while once it warms up, because it feels like it shrunk a half-size.

Hidden on the "Getting the Right Hat Size" link on their website Sunbody states, "The Guatemalan hat (most of the hats on our website) have a foam-padded cotton twill sweatband that tends to shrink about 1% with heat and moisture. This is about 1/2 of a hat size (1/16" diameter). If you are buying a GUATEMALAN hat, we recommend buying a hat that is just a little bit loose to allow for this shrinkage. This usually means buying one size larger than you normally wear." Me being me I ordered my size (7-1/2) and after I soaked and shaped it that first time it sure felt like it had shrunk half a size. And it was so stiff that it regularly felt like I was wearing a palm leaf hard hat. Wearing it off-and-on for nearly two years has broken it in, and it has become much more comfortable without feeling like it's too small or too large. So I think ordering my size was ultimately the right decision, but it took a while to confirm that for me.

I like the wider ribbon and the way you've shaped yours, and I think it looks good on you. Hopefully your experience will be similar to mine and it'll become more comfortable as you wear it.

 

[William G.]

Hidden on the "Getting the Right Hat Size" link on their website Sunbody states, "The Guatemalan hat (most of the hats on our website) have a foam-padded cotton twill sweatband that tends to shrink about 1% with heat and moisture. This is about 1/2 of a hat size (1/16" diameter). If you are buying a GUATEMALAN hat, we recommend buying a hat that is just a little bit loose to allow for this shrinkage. This usually means buying one size larger than you normally wear." Me being me I ordered my size (7-1/2) and after I soaked and shaped it that first time it sure felt like it had shrunk half a size. And it was so stiff that it regularly felt like I was wearing a palm leaf hard hat. Wearing it off-and-on for nearly two years has broken it in, and it has become much more comfortable without feeling like it's too small or too large. So I think ordering my size was ultimately the right decision, but it took a while to confirm that for me.

I like the wider ribbon and the way you've shaped yours, and I think it looks good on you. Hopefully your experience will be similar to mine and it'll become more comfortable as you wear it.

Thank you, I appreciate that. Seeing your post really helped me with reshaping it.

I do hope my experience mirrors yours. This one is a size larger than what I currently wear, and it fit fine a couple of summers ago. I didn't wear it much last summer and it got dry and brittle, I wonder if being dry and wetting it again made it shrink further.

 

[Zombie_61]

...I do hope my experience mirrors yours. This one is a size larger than what I currently wear, and it fit fine a couple of summers ago. I didn't wear it much last summer and it got dry and brittle, I wonder if being dry and wetting it again made it shrink further.

As I posted above the Sunbody website mentions the fact that the cotton twill sweatbands shrink approximately 1%, but doesn't mention any shrinkage of the palm leaves themselves. Dehydration tends to make things shrink, so my guess is it happened as the palm leaves "got dry" rather than after you wetted it again. This website suggests wrapping a dried out straw hat in a damp towel overnight in order to "rejuvenate" the straw, but I have no idea whether or not it would work on a palm leaf hat; I don't think it would hurt to give it a try.

Also, fellow lounger Moehawk once used coconut oil in an attempt to restore a 1930s Panama hat, and he said it worked quite well so you might try that as well.

 

[William G.]

As I posted above the Sunbody website mentions the fact that the cotton twill sweatbands shrink approximately 1%, but doesn't mention any shrinkage of the palm leaves themselves. Dehydration tends to make things shrink, so my guess is it happened as the palm leaves "got dry" rather than after you wetted it again. This website suggests wrapping a dried out straw hat in a damp towel overnight in order to "rejuvenate" the straw, but I have no idea whether or not it would work on a palm leaf hat; I don't think it would hurt to give it a try.

Also, fellow lounger Moehawk once used coconut oil in an attempt to restore a 1930s Panama hat, and he said it worked quite well so you might try that as well.

Thank you. We use coconut oil a lot, it works wonders on my leather truck seats and I actually just used it on a couple of Kiwi shoe service boxes a few weeks ago to rehydrate the wood. I never thought about using it on the straw, though. I’ll definitely keep that in mind, Between Val and I, we’ve got five straw hats; odds are we’ll need to try it at some point.

I just went to check the Sunbody and it feels dry in places, but I flipped the band upside down and put it back on and now it fits better. Apparently I had it on wrong. Oops.

I’m still planning to dunk the hat and let it get good and soaked and wear it around the house. Can’t hurt.

 

[Zombie_61]

...I’m still planning to dunk the hat and let it get good and soaked and wear it around the house. Can’t hurt.

The first time I re-shaped mine I soaked it in a sink filled with mildly warm water for about three to five minutes (as best I can remember), and because I had so thoroughly saturated the hat it took eight to ten hours to dry completely. I checked it occasionally just to make sure it was holding it's new shape and, because the cotton twill sweatband is backed with foam padding, I discovered it and the palm leaves adjacent to it were the last sections of the hat to dry. At that point I decided to wear it so it would hopefully conform to my head as it dried and it worked out pretty well, but my wife thought I was a bit of a lunatic for wearing a damp hat in the house for three to four hours.

 

[tropicalbob]

One of the best little investments I've made is in a hat-stretcher. They go for about $15 or $20 on Amazon or Ebay and are really worth it. Not long ago I noticed my Sunbody was feeling a bit tight, so I dampened it one night, put in the stretcher, and left it in overnight. In the morning the hat seemed to have grown by at least a half-size.

 

[Zombie_61]

One of the best little investments I've made is in a hat-stretcher. They go for about $15 or $20 on Amazon or Ebay and are really worth it. Not long ago I noticed my Sunbody was feeling a bit tight, so I dampened it one night, put in the stretcher, and left it in overnight. In the morning the hat seemed to have grown by at least a half-size.

I absolutely agree. I wouldn't attempt to stretch any hat a full size using a hat jack/stretcher, but if you need just a little more room they're definitely worth the investment.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Another summer is approaching (forecast to get into the mid 90s this week ).
Looking at the homburg again. Anyone have one?

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[Mustang Mike's Hats]

I love this time of year when we get to do a little more straw work!

I literally just finished a couple last Saturday. I needed a new fedora as my last one got sold right off my head! I hadn't done a Porkpie in straw so I thought it was about time, so attached is the result.

The ribbon on the Porkpie is vintage '70's. The Fedora is older, maybe mid-60's.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I love this time of year when we get to do a little more straw work!

I literally just finished a couple last Saturday. I needed a new fedora as my last one got sold right off my head! I hadn't done a Porkpie in straw so I thought it was about time, so attached is the result.

The ribbon on the Porkpie is vintage '70's. The Fedora is older, maybe mid-60's.

View attachment 165898 View attachment 165899

Those look great. Hard to believe those are palm hats.


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[tropicalbob]

Another summer is approaching (forecast to get into the mid 90s this week ).
Looking at the homburg again. Anyone have one?

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Not yet, but it's a strong contender. I always start thinking about the Sunbodys at this time of year, just before the summer Monsoons. I too would love to see some pics of these in the wild.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Anybody put a leather sweatband in a SunBody hat? I know it sort of defeats the soak them for shaping feature, but I just like leather better against my skin.


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